Canada's Ivey purchasing index slows in Feb

OTTAWA, March 4 (Reuters) - The pace of purchasing activity
in Canada slowed sharply in February as employment cooled and
inventories shrank, data from the Ivey Purchasing Managers Index
showed on Friday.

The seasonally adjusted index fell to 53.4 from 66.0 in
January, short of analysts' expectations for 59.0. The
unadjusted index was little changed at 56.8 from 56.7.

A reading above 50 indicates an increase in the pace of
activity.

On an unadjusted basis, the gauge of employment fell to 50.3
from 55.1, while inventories tumbled to 49.9 from 61.4.

The prices index also pulled back substantially to 57.8 from
71.6. The Canadian dollar had weakened against the greenback
through much of January, helping to push companies' input costs
up, but the loonie regained some strength in February.